Best CRM for Design Studios (2026)

For design studios, the Ikaroa team's top CRM picks are Open Doors, HubSpot CRM and Capsule CRM. They were picked with project pipeline, brief management and client communication in mind, and the list below gives the rating, starting price and full review for every platform we recommend.

Design studios manage creative projects, client briefs, and revision cycles. A CRM helps track project pipelines, manage client relationships, and ensure smooth handoffs between creative and account management teams.

Reviewed by the Ikaroa team • Last updated: March 2026

Project pipeline

Brief management

Client communication

Revision tracking

Proposal management

Top Recommended CRMs

Open Doors

★4.8/5

All-in-one CRM, marketing automation, and business management platform. Built for small to medium businesses who want enterprise features without enterprise pricing. Includes CRM, email marketing, SMS, funnels, landing pages, booking, invoicing, automation workflows, reputation management, and more.

From £197/month

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HubSpot CRM

★4.5/5

HubSpot offers a free CRM with powerful marketing, sales, and service tools. Popular with small to mid-sized businesses for its generous free tier and intuitive interface.

From £0/month

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Capsule CRM

★4.1/5

Capsule is a clean, simple CRM popular with small businesses in the UK. It focuses on contact management and sales pipeline without unnecessary complexity.

From £0/month (2 users)

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Pipedrive

★4.4/5

A sales-focused CRM built by salespeople, for salespeople. Pipedrive excels at visual pipeline management and is known for its simplicity and ease of use.

From £14/user/month

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Insightly

★3.9/5

Insightly combines CRM with project management, making it useful for businesses that need to manage both sales pipelines and post-sale project delivery.

From £25/user/month

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Less Annoying CRM

★4.5/5

True to its name, Less Annoying CRM keeps things simple. One plan, one price, no upsells. Designed specifically for small businesses that find most CRMs too complex.

From £13/user/month

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Open Doors vs HubSpot CRM

Feature	Open Doors	HubSpot CRM
Free Plan	✗	✓
Starting Price	£197/month	£0/month
Our Rating	★ 4.8	★ 4.5

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